In the Search for Clarity, Define Your Passion

(This is the second in a series of articles on creating clarity in the workplace)

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In evaluating the elements that lead to a successful business operation, it is important that owners and management seek to close any gaps that might cloud a clear path to their ultimate success. Only by strategically addressing these gaps in such areas as time, team, revenue and planning can business owners effectively create a stress-free, high-powered business machine, an operation properly primed to succeed in any economic climate.

In our previous article, we looked at the importance of clear communication across all levels of the business environment as a foundational element for clarity and success. This equates to clear communication from ownership to managers … clear communication from managers to staff … and clear communication from all employees to the customers. It goes without saying that any gap in communication will spell trouble ¬– big trouble – for any business, small or large.

But let’s take communication to a new, deeper level. Specifically, communicating one’s own passion for their work through words and actions. For, as research has clearly shown, while monetary compensation does play a critical role in determining employment satisfaction, it is one’s own passion for the job they perform that carries them and the people they lead to the highest level of success.

Quite simply, passion is the jet fuel that drives business folks to the upper echelon of their own success.

It Starts (and Ends) at the Top

So what happens when a business owner loses the passion for his or her own company? The answer is quite simple: absolutely nothing good. Like a ship without a rudder, the business is on a collision course to failure, and only the owner can steer this craft out of these troubled, rocky waters.

So what is the owner to do? Here are four quick tips to help get this business back on track.

1. Seek activities to recharge the person within: At times, a new activity outside of the workplace can re-energize an individual and through this personal development help them rediscover the positive elements of business ownership and change the monotony of the workplace. Also, be sure to reaffirm your personal relationships with family and friends. Their support for the person might be the spark that will allow a disheartened business owner to rediscover his or her passion for the work he once loved.

2. Seek a Mentor: Quite often, consulting with a mentor or coach is a magical way to get “unstuck” and renew a positive enthusiasm for what business ownership should be.

3. Implement change: The monotony of a stagnant work environment might be the culprit behind one’s lack of drive. Be the visionary. Change things up. It might just be the perfect time for the business … and you.

4. Rekindle the team: Finally, when the passion does return, share this excitement and energy with your managers and staff. Communicate openly and engage your staff in a system of ongoing brainstorming to ensure everyone is fully involved.

Remember, a strong, enthusiastic leader is the foundation of a successful business. When you return to form, so will your business.